Within hours after announcing a hike in fares of its air-conditioned buses by up to 10 per cent, the Delhi Transport Corporation withdrew the revised fares on Wednesday.
In afternoon, the DTC had issued a press statement stating that it has revised fares of AC buses by up to 10 per cent. However, in the evening, the DTC issued another statement, saying, “This press release sent (earlier) today regarding service tax on DTC AC buses be treated as withdrawn.
Sources said that the public transporter fell short of obtaining all the required permissions before announcing the hike. Earlier in the day, the DTC had added service charges on air-conditioned bus tickets, bringing in the first fare revision since 2009.
Sources said transport ninister Satyendar Jain was not happy with move and thereafter, DTC was asked to roll back fare hikes.
Following hike in the fare revision, the Delhi BJP criticised the move demanding roll back of the same. “We demand immediate roll back of fare hikes done for DTC AC buses. Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal failed to improve DTC services and bring 10k new buses,” Khemchand Sharma, convenor of Delhi BJP.
The Corporation had increased the minimum fare of AC buses from Rs 10 to Rs 11 and the maximum from Rs 25 to Rs 27. Fares of the Airport Express Bus Service were also revised with minimum fare increasing to Rs 27 from earlier Rs 25, and the maximum fare increasing to Rs 106 from previous Rs 100. Tickets for the outstation bus services of the DTC had also become expensive. But there were no change made in the fares of the non-AC buses of DTC.
The fares were hiked after the government decided to pay service tax on 40 per cent revenue earned by AC buses of DTC, the DTC in its withdrawn press statement had said.
